A few questions for you ....
 

I've got a couple of questions, so rather than post individual threads, thought I'd combine them onto one!

Hopefully you'll be able to help me on a few points.

a) Do you recycle everything? I'm finding the recycle facilities here poor to say the least and end up putting all my plastic into bags in the garage waiting for enough to warrant a trip to the recycle yard half an hour away. What do you do with yours? Am I cancelling out one effort with another by driving so far to take it?

b) Which washer did you buy? I chose an economic top loader as I was told they washed better, but were friendlier to the environment than usual top loaders as they used less water. I'm finding it doesn't wash properly and now sincerely regretting not spending the extra on a front loader. Or am I using the wrong detergent?

c) Which washing detergent do you use and why? See above ..

d) Do you compost your food waste? I've brought my counter crockpot with me, but we don't have a compost bin. Easy answer would be to buy one, but we're leasing, so would have to leave it, and I'm not sure how the landlords would take us having one? (will have to ask). But then again, they have this mulch stuff going on on top of their soil (to stop weeds I'd guess and keep moisture in), so what would I do with the compost??!

e) Which dishwasher tablets do you use and does your dishwasher take salt? They looked at me like I was an alien when I asked for it!

I'm sure there are more questions (sorry!) but none that spring to mind right now - although as soon as I press 'submit' I'll remember them all!

Thanks everyone :)

Re: A few questions for you ....
 

They don't pick it up from your house? Big blue plastic tub? No? that's the first I've heard of that... but it definitely depends on where you live.

I have a Fisher and Paykel top loader that works well, but I think front loaders are probably the way to go. They're not even that much more expensive these days. I've found you get what you pay for with washing machines, you probably bought one that was just too cheap.

I get huge containers of standard Tide liquid from Costco. Pretreat stains with Shout. Not exactly a revolutionary idea, but it works fine.

No, I live in a crowded suburb though and I'm not sure how the neighbors would take it. I did when I was a kid in the country, though. Also, what does a crockpot have to do with composting? Also, crockpots cost about thirty dollars, why did you bring one over?

the Kirkland-brand Costco stuff works fine and is cheap. Powder works better than liquid, IMO. Nobody calls it "salt" here, just call it "detergent" or "powder".

Re: A few questions for you ....
 

a) Do you recycle everything?
No, but I try to as much as I can. I'm luck that the city provides curbside pickup every week. I (and everybody else) puts the stuff in blue bags and leaves it with the rest of the rubbish and it gets collected every Monday. Check out http://earth911.org/ to see if there are places you don't know about.

b) Which washer did you buy?
We got a Frigidaire front loader, can't remember the model off the top of my head. I'll admit that some top loaders are pretty decent now, but front loaders always get my clothes cleaner and keep them in good condition. Cost about $600 I think.

c) Which washing detergent do you use and why?
I use Ecos Free and Clear (www.ecos.com). I'm allergic to the enzymes in biological detergents and there are very few non-bio ones here. I like this because it's non-bio, environmentally friendly and you need very little of it. It's not cheap, I pay about $18 for a gallon, but I can get about 120 loads from a bottle. With a top loader you need more but I think they quote 64 loads per gallon.

d) Do you compost your food waste?
No. I do throw some things in the garden though. I am thinking about doing it though.

e) Which dishwasher tablets do you use and does your dishwasher take salt?
I've never used salt, never felt the need. I use some kind of liquid, it's whatever costco sell in massive bottles. Cascade I think. It's a green bottle with blue liquid.

Re: A few questions for you ....
 

The one she posted is a counter compost bin, not a slow cooker.

Re: A few questions for you ....
 

Thanks Hiro

We do have a blue box, but they only collect certain items - far less than at home. Example - they don't collect glass and only #1 & #2 plastic (didn't even know they were numbered until moving here), so I bag the rest to take to the recycle depot.

With regards to the washer - yes, I wish I had gone with a front loader. Ours certainly wasn't cheap - it was the top of the range (apparently) and cost wise, was at the top end. We have 30 days to change, hence asking for recommendations. We went to so many places to look at machines and guess what - all the sales people were men. Not saying for a moment men don't do the washing, but lets face it, most don't, so I should have asked here first!


The crockpot is a counter one for putting waste in rather than down the sink thing (what's it called?!). I used to put all my peelings etc in there then when it was full put in the compost bin outside. Obviously I didn't bring our outdoor one with us!

Thanks for the recommendations about the other stuff. Good to know when you haven't got a clue what you're buying!

Re: A few questions for you ....
 

The British and the Americans: separated by a common language.

Re: A few questions for you ....
 

a) Do you recycle everything? I'm finding the recycle facilities here poor to say the least and end up putting all my plastic into bags in the garage waiting for enough to warrant a trip to the recycle yard half an hour away. What do you do with yours? Am I cancelling out one effort with another by driving so far to take it?

We have no recycle facility for any material except metals. We burn paper and cardboard, everything else goes in the trash to the local landfill. Big trash (appliances etc...) go in the junk pile in the woods.


b) Which washer did you buy? I chose an economic top loader as I was told they washed better, but were friendlier to the environment than usual top loaders as they used less water. I'm finding it doesn't wash properly and now sincerely regretting not spending the extra on a front loader. Or am I using the wrong detergent?

Check out the Staber http://www.staber.com/ I've never owned one but I've heard good things and plan to buy one when the need arises.

c) Which washing detergent do you use and why? See above ..

No idea.:o

d) Do you compost your food waste? I've brought my counter crockpot with me, but we don't have a compost bin. Easy answer would be to buy one, but we're leasing, so would have to leave it, and I'm not sure how the landlords would take us having one? (will have to ask). But then again, they have this mulch stuff going on on top of their soil (to stop weeds I'd guess and keep moisture in), so what would I do with the compost??!

Yes. It goes into the compost yard along with the chicken waste and yard clippings.

e) Which dishwasher tablets do you use and does your dishwasher take salt? They looked at me like I was an alien when I asked for it!

:huh:

Re: A few questions for you ....
 

Thanks Duncan

I think I need to get a Costco card!

:thumbup:

Re: A few questions for you ....
 

It would have helped if my link had worked!

Hopefully this will make a bit more sense ... http://www.lakeland.co.uk/product.aspx/!20428

:D

Re: A few questions for you ....
 

It should be issued to all new arrivals on entry, IMO.

Re: A few questions for you ....
 

It's a good thing.

I'm pretty sure this is the washer I got. I paid less than that, I think it's the recommended price that no one sells at. I got it from Lowes. I'd recommend it any day of the week. It's great. Had it 2.5 years now.

Re: A few questions for you ....
 

You don't say where "here" is. The USA is a vast country, and recycling progams vary greatly from city to city, county to county. In Cleveland Heights, Ohio, the city collects just about everything for recycling: glass, all plastics, newsprint, assorted paper and cardboard, metal, corrugated, etc.
Maybe your town doesn't want glass because the nearest glass recycler is 200 miles away and it would be too expensive to truck it that far.

Re: A few questions for you ....
 

This is the one we got http://www.maytag.com/catalog/produc...arch=mtw6600tq .. only I'm not sure if it's the washer itself, my use of it or just a faulty machine which is causing the washing to not be as clean as I'm used to??

Re: A few questions for you ....
 

Sorry, Houston, Tx.

Re: A few questions for you ....
 

The fundamental problem with top loaders is that they have to fill with water and then empty from the bottom. That means that all the suds and dirt that's in the water gets put back on the clothes when it drains, kind of like the ring on a bath.

Re: A few questions for you ....
 

Bugger, why didn't I think of that :blink:

Re: A few questions for you ....
 

I've got a couple of questions, so rather than post individual threads, thought I'd combine them onto one!

Hopefully you'll be able to help me on a few points.

a) Do you recycle everything? I'm finding the recycle facilities here poor to say the least and end up putting all my plastic into bags in the garage waiting for enough to warrant a trip to the recycle yard half an hour away. What do you do with yours? Am I cancelling out one effort with another by driving so far to take it?
We put glass/plastic/metals in one bin...it is collected every other week along with paper/cardboard.

b) Which washer did you buy? I chose an economic top loader as I was told they washed better, but were friendlier to the environment than usual top loaders as they used less water. I'm finding it doesn't wash properly and now sincerely regretting not spending the extra on a front loader. Or am I using the wrong detergent?
Maytag Neptune front loader...it washers better than toploaders but no where near as good as my Hoover in the UK.

c) Which washing detergent do you use and why? See above ..
Tide, Oxy-clean and Shout for stains.

d) Do you compost your food waste? I've brought my counter crockpot with me, but we don't have a compost bin. Easy answer would be to buy one, but we're leasing, so would have to leave it, and I'm not sure how the landlords would take us having one? (will have to ask). But then again, they have this mulch stuff going on on top of their soil (to stop weeds I'd guess and keep moisture in), so what would I do with the compost??!
Couldn't be bothered with all that to be honest.

Which dishwasher tablets do you use and does your dishwasher take salt? They looked at me like I was an alien when I asked for it!
Costco's powder...as far as I know they don't use salt in the US dishwashers.

I'm sure there are more questions (sorry!) but none that spring to mind right now - although as soon as I press 'submit' I'll remember them all!

Thanks everyone :)

Re: A few questions for you ....
 

Why do you put salt in your dishwasher ?

Re: A few questions for you ....
 

I have the Whirlpool Duet system which I'm very pleased with. We do less wash as we can fit more into that beast than any top loader we see.

As for composting food, no, we use the disposal (the garbage disposal, aka how to lose you hand by flipping a switch or the great goldfish graveyard). We have a special one as we are on a septic. I live in a very rural area and we have so much wildlife the last thing I want to do is put anything outside. Racoons, foxes, groundhogs, deer, black snakes, vultures, a bald eagle, an osprey, a giant duck, the neighbors cats, lizards, squirrels, a turtle--and that was just what I saw YESTERDAY in my yard. No need to feed them all.

The yard waste (clippings, leaves, etc) I tried to put in a composting pile once, but found a nice family of copperhead snakes (poisonous) making a nest there after a few months so I decided I'd just use the leaf blower and send all that stuff into the woods from now on.

(I live in the boonies)

Re: A few questions for you ....
 

We can recycle glass, plastic and paper. Several times a year we have a special garden waste collections and the township composts that for the municipal flowerbeds, otherwise it just goes in with the rubbish.
Christmas trees are collected for chipping up.

I bought a front loading washing machine but it isn't as good as my UK one. Someone told me it's because the drum just goes round instead of reversing (?).

I use Tide He for front loaders but I have to say I'm disappointed in the cleaning power. (Enter Dale Winton).
Most of the Brits I know are unimpressed with the detergents here.
We are not allowed to hang washing out so it's all tumbled and that seems to make it look dull.

We have a JennAir dishwasher and I don't think it takes salt but I don't know why it doesn't. There's nowhere to put it and nothing mentioned in the book.

I use any dishwasher stuff, whatever is cheapest.

I walk round the supermarket sometimes absolutely baffled by some of the stuff. It is hard not knowing which is the better brand of something. That is the kind of thing that used to get me down, silly I know. It was the thing that really made me feel like a stranger.

We use our waste disposal, especially in the summer. If we keep it until bin day it smells and if we put it outside the racoons get it.

Re: A few questions for you ....
 

I remember I had to put salt in my dishwasher in the UK...or at least I was supposed to. Never could figure out why.

Re: A few questions for you ....
 

I think it is to soften the water. Many houses in the US have a water softener so adding it separately in the dishwasher is not needed. You might want to check your utility closet, or just see if you have a lot of buildup in your water to begin with.

You know those little white spots in a dry glass you pull from a dishwasher? That's the mineral residue from the water. If you have a softener, it helps rid you of those minerals. In some areas (on wells) a softener is highly recommend to prevent buildup in the pipes and water heater (aka scale). It's not harmful to drink, but it can be a pain if your pipes clog.

http://home.howstuffworks.com/question99.htm

Re: A few questions for you ....
 

I think it's something to do with water softening. It has to be a special type of salt. I know my mum uses it but I never have.

Re: A few questions for you ....
 

The reverse action is to stop the clothes from tangling.

I think the reason why clothes don't get so clean is the temperature and the length of time the clothes are washed. My UK Hoover took 2 hrs for a normal wash...my Maytag frontloader takes about 40 mins. The clothes aren't spun as fast so come out much wetter than in the UK.

Re: A few questions for you ....
 

My machine here takes 53 mins for a cotton wash although I can extend it.
Then I spend half an hour untangling all the shirt sleeves.

Re: A few questions for you ....
 

Mines grand. If I put 5 or 6 pairs of jeans or a lot of bedding it gets tangled otherwise it's fine. The clothes are very dry (depending on what I've set) when they come out and are acceptably clean. I can set a bunch of different options for spins, rinses and temperature and have a lot of timing options. I agree, not quite as good as what I've used in England but I'm really happy with it. It's also very, very quiet and economical.

Re: A few questions for you ....
 

OK got it now the word salt threw me.... "Jet Dry" rinse agent goes into the little cup next to where the detergent stuff goes. to prevent spots and film build up.

Re: A few questions for you ....
 

You're a man. :rolleyes::lol:

Re: A few questions for you ....
 

We put a rinse agent in UK dishwasher too...along with salt.

Re: A few questions for you ....
 

Must be the water then

Re: A few questions for you ....
 

Thanks guys ... very helpful :thumbup:

I'll persevere with the washer for a few more loads and see if there is any difference in the wash. I'd noticed marks didn't come out of shirts and towels, but perhaps I was putting too much in? Plus it doesn't have an actuator (was told this was better by the salesman, but when I rang up about it the saleswoman said actuators are actually better for cleaner washing).

Costco card on the to-do list.

Salt in dishwashers .. used to put dishwasher salt and rinsing agent in my Miele (miss that with a vengeance) but there is nowhere to put salt in this JennAir one. Is it normal for dishwashers to have the heater in the bottom rather than integrated?

Yes, you might have guessed it .. I'm washing/cleaning obsessed! :rofl:

As for the compost bin idea .. after reading your posts about the wildlife I'll give it a miss. Down the sink thing it goes from now on!

Thanks again :)

Re: A few questions for you ....
 

I only put salt in my UK dishwasher for the first few months...didn't notice any difference after that. Now someone's mentioned it I think it is because of the water.

Re: A few questions for you ....
 

Watch your fingers and spoons!:rofl:

Re: A few questions for you ....
 

Had many dishwashers over the years heater has always been on the bottom. they always come out dry

Re: A few questions for you ....
 

True. I also do pretty much all my washing and am very particular about it! I do all the cooking too. I did a whole bunch of research before buying the washer and am pleased that it worked out.

On the subject of actuators, yes they are better for the actual cleaning BUT they are also pretty bad for your clothes.

Re: A few questions for you ....
 

and washing up cloths. We had one of those go down and they get tangled and shredded in a second.

Re: A few questions for you ....
 

Do you mean agitator? I used a top loader for 2 years when we lived in a rental...it ruins clothes IMHO. I also found loads of lint all over the clothes.

Good for you BTW...I was only joking about the 'man' thing. ;)

Re: A few questions for you ....
 

It used to make me nervous sticking my hand in there to remove items that had fallen in!:eek: Our present house doesn't have one. The sink waste just runs out a pipe to the ditch.

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:rofl: That's my fault calling it an actuator! :rofl:

See, I've lots to learn lol

Re: A few questions for you ....
 

You're not the only one. I know people here that do as well.